Dowlat Abad Garden
Dowlat Abad Garden that is famous for its tall wind catcher is one of the Persian Gardens located in Yazd. This garden, which is located in "Chahar manare" (four minarets) district of Yazd, is not only inscribed on the list of national monuments of Iran, but also considered as one of the prominent Persian Gardens designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Dowlat Abad Garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in Iran, which is constructed in an area of about 4.6 hectares. In the time of Mohammad Taghikhan, no one was able to see inside the garden due to large numbers of trees on the northern part that blocked the view into the garden; for this reason, the street, which was four to five meters wide and about 20 kilometers long, was called "Hezar Derakht" (thousand trees). On the eastern side of the garden, there was an eight-kilometer street, which was bounded by a dried river on the west. At this time, the garden was outside Yazd rampart.
This garden was built at the end of Afshari dynasty around 1750 by the founder of Khawanin dynasty of Yazd, Mohammad Taghi Khan Bafghi, known as "Khan-e Bozorg" or the Great Ruler. Mohammad Taghi Khan started the construction of the garden by creating a 65-kilometer aqueduct to transfer water from Mehriz to Yazd and to the current location of Dowlat Abad Garden. Eventually, with an area of about seventy thousand square meters, a garden full of various flowers and trees was built with a series of buildings, ponds and fountains.
Kushk (pavilion) in Dowlat Abad Garden is one of the most important parts of the complex, in which Dowlat Abad tall wind catcher is located; this architectural masterpiece is the tallest adobe wind catcher in the world with a height of 33.8 meters. After the air goes down the windcatcher, it passes through the channel and then touches water pond beneath the windcatcher; this process makes the hot air of the desert cool and pleasant for the residents in the pavilion as cool air is transferred from the wind catcher to the royal part and the halls. For this reason, kushk is also called the summer building.
Each structure in Dowlat Abad Garden has architectural features needed for the required spaces at that time. There are three spaces called Shah Neshin" (Royal Section) with lattice doors, wind catcher room, vestibule and two "Pastoo" (small rooms) in this octagonal building. The ceiling was the built and beautifully decorated by Haji Ali Akbar Akhund. The exterior part, which was used for caravans and government affairs, includes the entrance, the Hall of Mirrors, Tehrani Mansion, two bazaars, and public water reservoir. What distinguishes this garden from other Persian Gardens is its high wind catcher, which is known as the tallest adobe windcatcher in the world with 33.8 meters height. Another feature of this wind catcher is its octagonal shape, which makes the air flow easily and quickly in any direction; furthermore, under this wind catcher, there is a pond on which the blown wind moves and then the cool air flows inside the building.
Tags: yazd Province, Dowlat Abad Garden, yazd Attractions , UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Iran Historical Attractions, Persian Gardens
